The Trinity
by Liam Holman
Summary: Three different people are sent on a journey that will change their lives forever. Friendships and folly, epic journeys and epiphanies, love and loss, and the legend of the Trinity of human Pridelanders. Production temporarily suspended.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello, there. I'm here with a new story, this time, a collaboration project. The author known as LionKingIsAwesome, J.C. Aldridge and I came together to write a story that would hopefully inspire and entertain you. I believe with these two talented and generally amazing people, we can make a memorable story. We hope you enjoy reading this story, and if you feel that improvements can be made, please inform us in a constructive review. Troll reviews will not be a thing here.**

 **Unkown POV**

"Alright, children. No messin' around! Keep up now!"

That was our 'guide', I guess you could call him. It was currently my Senior year of high school, and we were just about done. But before we were, my science class out of them all was one of the first to participate in a new program that schools across the country were becoming a part of.

Basically, the school would bring a whole class to a different country for research and educational purposes. They make it affordable so that the schools are more likely to participate. The catch for them is that we get to stay for a couple weeks they said... So that means more tourism, and it brings them more money.

I don't wanna delve too deep into the specifics of it... It's not like I fucking care anyway... I see school as a waste of my time when I could be doing something more useful with my life instead.

To make matters worse, out of all the major places in the world we could've gone, such as the UK, France, Spain, Australia, Japan, we get Tanzania in Africa, not that I have anything against the country, its just that we got the worse end of the deal, compared to other schools in my opinion.

When we first got here, this guide that we were with, now began giving us the grand tour of his country. He gave us his name, but it was hard to pronounce... I wasn't really paying attention too well anyways.

Oh yeah, I guess you probably want to know who I am.

My name is Andrew King, but I prefer Drew for short. That's what my mother always called me... Unfortunately, my Mom died in a car accident just a month ago... She was the light of my life and the only one who cared for me...

And my father? Don't even get me started on him...

I stand at around 6' 2" tall and weigh about 190 pounds. I have an average build all in all. I wasn't muscular, but I wasn't fat either. I have dirty blonde hair at medium length, fair coloured skin, sky blue eyes, and turned 18 not long ago.

"Alright, children!" The guide said, snapping me out of my inner thoughts. His native African accent was evident with every word he spoke. "Now today, before ya get settled in, you students will get to see a lay of our land!"

All of my classmates and the teacher that got sent with us perked up in awe and looked rather excited. As for me, I was indifferent to it...

I mean, sure, it beats having to do classwork and shit, but I honestly just wanted to lay down and just get away from reality for a while...

"Come on, students, I will show you de way." The guide finished, walking us towards a green grassland in the far distance.

It took quite a bit of walking, and before long, the small town we were previously in shrunk smaller and smaller behind me, the farther we walked.

"Dis here is a baobab tree. Dis towering tree is centuries old, and is a symbol to our-"

I zoned him out as I stood in the very back of the crowd. I looked away from what he was talking about and just looked out further into the savanna.

I wasn't one to appreciate too much, but I had to admit, the land was definitely a beautiful sight to see!

"Da baobab was first found in da year-" I heard just a bit more of what he was saying, only to zone him out again. He was just rambling... This guy could talk, I'll say that...

I widened my eyes slightly upon looking back into the relatively open savanna. In the far distance, I thought I saw... Well, it looked like a cat...

I couldn't tell from this far away... So I dismissed it.

But then, an idea hit me!

 _'Why not just go check it out myself? This guy will still be rambling on about this tree way before I get back anyway...'_ I thought to myself.

So without making a sound, I quietly began sneaking away from my class to see just what that was.

The voice of the tour guide grew quieter the further away I went.

' _Good_ ,' I thought. Enough of that for a while.

The cat I had seen earlier still appeared to be there. It was laying down beside a tree and looked peaceful where it was at.

I didn't want to disturb it, just look at it.

Out of nowhere, I heard the sound of laughter!

' _HAHAHA_!' It echoed throughout the grasslands. I honestly couldn't tell where it was coming from.

"Hyena attack! Run!" I thought I heard the guide yell in the far distance. The cat from earlier ran away from the sound of the commotion, leaving my bright idea in the dust.

"Dammit!" I yelled in frustration. However, it was immediately replaced with fear! I had to get back with the group!

As I ran back in the direction of my class, I saw something that shook me to the core. Some of my classmates were being mauled by a large pack of hyenas! So was my teacher!

"Run, children! Run!" The guide yelled out. He turned around and looked in my direction, freezing me in my tracks. I couldn't tell for sure if he saw me or not, but again he yelled out, "RUN!"

This caused me to act on his words and I took off running in the opposite direction. Just before I left the area completely, I could hear the blood-curdling screams of the tour guide, no doubt being killed by the hyenas as well.

I ran and ran until I couldn't any longer! After what felt like hours, exhaustion set in, and I collapsed to the ground.

Darkness took over, my next expectations being death.

 **Unknown POV**

After the penetrating sound of a bang smashed into my eardrums, my eyes leapt open. It was like I had just woke up, sweating and shaking, from the most harrowing nightmare ever, but as my narrow gaze darted around my surroundings, only the facts remained.

My dad was dead.

And I couldn't do anything about it.

I tried my best to tear away from the rope that bent my arms in an almost impossible way. Each small tug cut deeper into my flesh; it wasn't long before I was standing in a puddle of my own blood. All I wanted to do was grab my father and pull him away. Pull him far, far, far away. Away from people, from buildings, from work, from school, from society, even from the universe itself, until only the two of us were left. I could finally talk to him, tell him how much I love him, and just hold him forever. Would he respond? Of course not. He s dead, and I couldn't do anything about it.

The pit in my stomach began to evaporate with a cacophony of emotions, but I didn't cry. No tears were shed as much as the skin on my wrists and the pain in my heart. I felt my forehead heat up as the smoke scrambled from the barrel of the hunting rifle. The trigger almost looked like it was wielded to Shaun s finger, like it was a part of him. I was so close to being able to take the gun, shoving the barrel down his throat and blasting his guts through the air. Then again, dad never liked guns, and he would tell you that any day. I wouldn't want to disappoint him - I respected him - but it wasn't like he would know anyway, because he is dead now. And I couldn't do anything about it.

Soon, my father's blood slowly crept through the crevices on the ground, eventually meeting my pool of blood like a river connecting to the ocean. It was a beautifully horrific sight, which left me feeling nauseous with happiness. I could feel our blood intertwine, like we were meeting again after years and years apart. I could feel his warm arms wrap around my cold, pale body, and taste the salty tears as they dripped from his eyes as he gently whimpered in my ear how much he had missed me.

"But you ve been here all along," I said weakly, confused, while I stared blankly into the distance. His arms gradually unwrapped, and he turned around to walk away. Where are you going! I shouted helplessly. He was already metres away when he turned around and waved goodbye. Farewell. And good luck.

As I blinked, tears finally outlined my eyes, and I saw that I was now alone. My father had reverted to a gory mess, cold and pale, his eyes staring blankly into the distance. Lifeless. It wasn't my father anymore. My father was on vacation somewhere, enjoying a sandy beach and a pint of beer, where the sea washed the worries from his shoulders. Yeah, that's where my father is. I'm certain.

However, I was still bound to a tree, still bleeding, still crying, still hoping that my thoughts would stop, my life would end, and nothing would remain. But Shaun and Connor, those responsible for this act, were running free into the sunset, escaping everything they had done.

I must do something about them. I should, I could, and I will.

And there's nothing they can do about that

 **Unknown POV**

The SUV that carried me was in a convoy that rushed through Dar es Salaam. I had resided here for a few months, having been encouraged by my father to accompany him and my brother on a business trip to Tanzania before we would both leave for our respective university courses. He pitched me the idea of an exciting, exotic holiday, but in reality, it was a boring, corporate affair. My father was an influential property developer, and had secured a contract in Tanzania.

Where are my manners? I am yet to tell my name. I m Alexander Maximilian, or Alex, for short. I am 18 years of age and was eagerly awaiting commencing my university course. As a son of a property developer, whose name was Christian Maximilian, my life has been relatively well-lived. I wouldn t say I was spoiled, but I have known more luxuries than most people could only dream of. However, I have endured tragedy: ten years ago, my mother died of eclampsia before she could give birth to who would have been my sister. Unfortunately, both did not survive, and ever since, my father has raised us as a single father. He would give me and my brother, Lewis, plenty of love and attention, a promise he made to his wife.

Today, however, my family suddenly had to cut short our trip to Tanzania. And even more strange, my father, my brother and myself each went in seperate cars to the Julius Nyerere International Airport. My father went through the the city centre, Lewis went via the western route, and my convoy was taking a more easterly route. However, I was travelling in the same car as my uncle. We were currently silently watching the scenery along our route.

"Why are we all in different convoys?" I asked my uncle, whose name was Thomas.

"Because we are in danger," he said as if it was a casual fact.

"What?"

"You know how your father was contracted to build homes here? They were built on order for wealthy, foreign investors in the Stock Market, and before the homes were built, there was a large slum, and despite numerous objections to the plans, the corrupt government simply ignored the will of the people. However, your father was told that it was previously a landfill site instead of a slum filled with impoverished people. There were some unsavoury folk who found out who was responsible for the construction of the houses, and they decided to antagonise your father," he explained.

"The man who robbed our home here, do you think he was involved in this?" I asked.

"Most likely. We ve had to take different paths to keep all of you safe. If we were all in the same convoy, we would all be in the most dangerous situation, he replied. We are being escorted by the police to the airport, for they have intelligence that we are being targeted."

As the car drove along a road between a suburban neighbourhood and the vast, blue ocean, the convoy was coming upon what appeared to be a broken down estate car, with its hood raised. A man waved at the convoy in an attempt to halt it. All the cars of the convoy passed, save for the last one. The second car behind us in our convoy pulled over to assist the man with his car. However, when a dull bang was heard, my uncle and I looked behind to see what was the source of the sound, we both saw the man pointing an AK-47 at the vehicle, spraying bullets at it.

Oh, shit! Faster! my uncle ordered the driver, and seeing our car accelerate, the other drivers knew the plan in the event of an emergency. A car turned into the next two junctions as we turned into a third. My body was suddenly possessed with fear. My heart began to race as panic settled in my mind.

"It's going to be alright, Alex," my uncle attempted to calm me down, hugging me tightly. This did not completely extinguish the fear in my heart. My stomach was disturbed by the SUV suddenly veering left, avoiding an apparent roadblock. However, as we continued down the road we were forced to take, we saw a hooded figure standing in the middle of the road. Their details were vague at this point, but we could see that they were holding a Glock pistol in their right hand and a small device in their left. They raised their gun-wielding hand, pulled the trigger, and a bullet flew through the window and into the skull of the driver.

"Jesus, fuck!" Get down my uncle yelled. We both ducked, hoping that no more bullets would fly towards us. However, almost immediately afterwards, there was an enormous noise coming from below us, and I felt in my stomach that the car flipped, as I had my eyes clenched closed.

The noise of the roof grazing on the tarmac tortured my ears. I felt blood come from my nose and pain in my shoulder. I looked to where my uncle was, and his eyes were closed. I shook him with my hand that wasn't burdened with hurt.

"Thomas!" I shouted. I heard the person who shot the driver walk towards the car. I unclipped mine and my uncle s seat belts, hoping to escape before the person could kill us. However, the door opened before I could grip the door handle, and I received a punch to the face that robbed me of my consciousness.

 **A/N: Three people, one destiny? Oh, my God, that sounded awful. Anyway, if you liked (or didn't like) this story, please let us know why.** **Again, this was written by LionKingIsAwesome, J.C. Aldridge and me. Each of us wrote one part in that order.** **The next chapter will be written soon. That which is rushed will always be unsatisfactory, please remember that.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here is the next chapter of The Trinity. Thank you for your reviews, for the support and simply taking the time to read this story. We carry on from where the characters left off: Drew escaped a hyena attack, Lucas was mourning the death of his father, and Alex was kidnapped. Let us respond to the reviews before we carry on with the story:**

 **Jason Chandler: Thanks for the review. We can t wait to write it! We think it s going to be a fantastic story.**

 **Jestalnaker94000: Thank you :). The events experienced by the three protagonists are happening simultaneously.**

 **Alex Curry: Lol. Let's hope that isn't the only reason you like this story XD**

 **WolfBLitzk03: Thank you for the review. We hope this chapter is sufficient to your wishes.**

 **Vburro08: Thank you :)**

 **Guest: Thank you for the review.**

 **Alex s POV**

My mind was clouded with pain and weariness. I was suffering from a headache, which I guess was caused by the blow to my face. I regained my vision, and gasped in shock and panic. I was in some sort of cell. I tried to move my hands, but I felt them bound behind my back in cold shackles. I looked around for my uncle, and I saw that he was sitting to my left, apparently unconscious.

"Thomas," I whispered, hoping to negate attracting the attention of those who brought us here.

There was no movement, so I nudged his leg with my foot. I sighed in relief when I heard a groan come from his mouth.

"What happened? Where are we?" he asked.

"We appear to have been taken to a cell. I hope Dad and Lewis got to the airport," I said as I trailed off into worried thoughts. Would they be in the same building as we were, wherever it was?

We then heard a pair of footsteps, and soon enough, we saw a dark-skinned man draped in camouflage clothing, holding a pistol in his hand, enter the room in which our cell was kept.

"Ah, you are awake. Now we can talk," he said in an apparently local dialect. I gulped, but the man simply pulled up a chair from behind the door and set it in front of the cell, facing away from us, and the man sat on it backwards.

"What are your names?" he asked. We looked at each other, and my uncle nodded.

"My name is Alex," I said. The interrogator nodded.

"And yours?" he asked my uncle.

"Christian Maximilian," he said. I looked at him slightly odd-like, but not evident enough for the man to catch on. He appeared to know what he was doing.

"Well, Mr Maximilian, we have a small problem. You built homes for rich people where people like us used to live, however, we were forced out of our homes by the government," he accused.

"I was told that the land on which the homes were built was but an old landfill site," Thomas protested.

"Oh, so that's what they think of us. No matter, we can send them a message they cannot ignore," the Tanzanian man said.

"What do you mean?" I asked fearfully.

"We're going to kill Mr. Maximilian, and anyone else involved in the building of those homes," he said. My heart sank.

"W-what? B-but there's no justice in murdering people just doing their jobs. Surely there can be another solution?" I pleaded.

"If only you understood, boy. Things aren't the same as in Ponce-shire, people struggle to survive, it is a kill-or-be-killed place in the slums, and Mr. Maximilian made it more difficult for us to survive, and now he will know what people in Dar es Salaam have to go through every day."

"Please, if you're going to kill me, at least let my son free. He has no part in this, he is innocent," Thomas bargained.

"Thomas, no! You don t have to do-" I began, but I realised my mistake.

"'Thomas'? I thought you said your name was 'Christian'," the guard said.

"Well... you see, it's one of my middle names, and my family call me by that name. I am known professionally as Christian," Thomas claimed.

"But why would he call you 'Thomas' instead of 'Dad'?" the guard tore up Thomas alibi.

"You know what? Fuck this. You will be liberated, boy, but only when you kill this man," he decided as he undid my shackle, forcing me to stand up, but still held me by the collar of my shirt.

"WHAT?!" I shouted. After being offered a difficult choice, I would usually run through my thoughts and debate my decision, but I couldn't even entertain the thought of killing anyone, let alone my own uncle. It would buy me freedom, but to me, that was too large a sum to pay.

"I will not offer another option. Kill this man, and you will be free. Refuse, and you will die alongside him," he confirmed his ultimatum. I was in an impossible situation. Obviously, I did not wish to die, never seeing my family and friends again, and barely beginning to live my life properly, but I did not wish to end the life of my uncle. However, he said something that completely changed the situation.

"Alex, I want you to be free. I want you to have a fantastic life. Your father and I wanted for you to be more than what we were. You can choose your own future. Do not let others hold you back... not even me, a recovered alcoholic," he said.

"No, I'm not doing that! I love you too much to see you go forever," I began to cry.

"That is exactly why you must do this. If you truly love me, then you will do what I ask. I want you to make something great out of your life. I have a feeling that you will do great things for many people."

I let the tears flow freely from my eyes now. I hugged him tightly for a few moments, absorbing his embrace, hoping this would be a final bittersweet memory. The guard handed me his pistol, which I reluctantly accepted. He took another gun from a shelf next to the cell, turned me to face my uncle and pressed his pistol against my back. I couldn't turn my gun on the guard, or I would be shot in the back, and Thomas would die anyway. The heavy firearm caused my arm to hang low, and I struggled to conjure the emotional, and therefore the physical strength to aim it at my uncle. I looked into his eyes. I could see the fear of death in them, but he was being admirably brave. He smiled slightly.

"I love you," he said. "So much."

"I love you, too," I replied. I clenched my eyes shut as I pulled the trigger.

 _BANG_

I heard his body drop to the floor with a thud. I opened my eyes, and almost immediately screamed in agony. Before I could mourn, however, the guard dragged me out of the cell, through the doorways and corridors of wherever building in which I was being escorted out of, and opened a side entrance to the building and threw me out, onto the muddy floor.

"If I see you again, I will kill you," he promised before he slammed the door shut.

'I would very much rather be killed right now,' I thought to myself. However, I dispelled that thought immediately. My uncle wants for me to live. And that s exactly what I intend on doing.

Where now do I go from here? The airport? Even if Lewis and Dad made it, they ve probably took the private jet back to the U.K. by now. I checked my pockets but found that they were empty. No phone, no wallet. Nothing. I have nothing. I have no one.

I did the one thing I could do at that moment.

 _Cry._

I cried for several minutes, sometimes writhing around in the dirt in regret of making the mistake of calling my uncle by his true name instead of going along with his plan.

I wanted to get away from this cursed building, from this foul situation. I quickly dusted myself off and walked aimlessly, but away from the scene of my crime.

Should I hand myself to the police? Am I truly at fault for killing my uncle? Would they even do anything about the people who kidnapped me? All I knew was that I could not face my family knowing that I had killed my own uncle.

I navigated through the packed streets of Dar es Salaam. I was alone in a city I knew next to nothing about outside the wealthy districts. However, as I was in a paranoid mindset, I noticed that there was someone behind me who had somehow taken the same route as me, and I didn t even have a destination in mind. To dismiss my suspicions, I walked around a block, and when I saw the same person in the reflection of a car window, my suspicions were confirmed. I was being followed.

I slipped down a narrow passage between two merchant stores. However, when I saw my pursuer walk past the passage, I thought I was in the clear. I discreetly looked both ways, but apparently my pursuer disguised themselves as an African woman, because that was the description of the person who suddenly pushed me back into the passage. They removed their disguise and revealed the face of a woman, who appeared to have at least some Eastern Asian descent, but I couldn't guess from where, though. I could see determination in her fierce eyes.

"We cannot take the risk that you'll just run to the government," she said.

"N-no, I'm not going anywhere. I just want to get out of here! I don't even have anywhere to go or anyone to live for," I replied, hoping to encourage whatever humanity, mercy or pity that may be lurking in her mind to take control.

"Well, let me end your miserable life!" she offered maliciously, drawing a knife from her belt. Before she could hurt me, however, I simply pushed her away, using her as leverage to accelerate further into the passage. I did not look behind me as I ran as fast as I could.

I dodged people, vehicles and animals as my pursuer relentlessly kept up with my pace. I had to deviate from this path, and before crossing a bridge over a river, I turned left, running along the path beside the riverside road. I then saw signposts that contained a steam engine symbol, signifying that there was a railway station nearby. I followed the street on which the signs remained visible and eventually came to a railway station. However, there was a small queue leading out through the entrance to the generic station building.

I managed to weave my way through the crowd of patient passengers, apologising for my interruption of the queue. I saw that a train was about to depart on the opposite platform. There was only one standard gauge track between me and the other train, so I ran up from the platform wall and jumped across the track, just as the train started to move. I had landed in between two coaches, opening the door into the doorway. I stayed there as I caught my breath after running non-stop for about five minutes. I hadn't had to run for so long in many months.

I looked through the door window and saw the passengers waiting for the incoming train. I caught a glimpse of the woman who pursued me through the streets of Dar es Salaam. My view was interrupted by the oncoming train. I knew I would probably be kicked off the train sooner or later, so I knew not where I would end up, but away from here, that was for sure.

I sat down in the corridor, now able to fully comprehend what just happened in the past half-hour. I cried myself to sleep as I continued into the unknown.

 **Drew's POV**

I slowly began to regain consciousness after passing out from exhaustion. The first thing I felt was that my throat was as dry as a bone! No doubt dehydration was beginning to set in after using up most of my energy.

My vision was blurry as my eyes slowly creaked open. I saw faint outlines of an orange sky, which surely meant that night was approaching. After a few seconds, my eyesight finally cleared itself up.

As I began to sit up, a sharp pain surged through my back, which caused me to wince. No doubt it was because of overexerting myself earlier.

I had to admit, though, I was pretty lucky at least somewhat!

I mean, sure, my entire class being attacked by vicious hyenas wasn't lucky, but at least I had made it out alive!

The bad thing was now, I was stuck out here in the middle of the African wilderness! Green savannas made up the entirety of the scene, with blossoming trees and a light breeze to accompany it.

It was.. rather quiet and peaceful, actually. It beat the hell out of doing classwork with a bunch of loud and annoying pricks! I didn't hate everyone at school, but the vast majority only cared about fitting in and being cool.

I wasn't one to follow any of that shit. If their definition of cool was being loud, obnoxious, and all around stupid, then count me out.

But enough about that. I just wanted to stop worrying about all of that, and just enjoy nature itself. It wasn't every day you got this good a view of what Africa had to offer! It was.. beautiful.

However, my grin soon turned into a frown, a frightening thought occurring to me,

I'm probably miles away from any nearby town right now, and I have no idea which way I came from!

I widened my eyes and shot up to my feet. I panted as I began looking in every which direction, trying to find some clue as to where I had come from.

But unfortunately, no such clue was to be found.

I was lost.

I could do nothing except look down at the ground in silence. I couldn't say anything, think of anything, or do anything... I was literally stumped.

Was I gonna die?

As that thought finally occurred to me, my entire face went pale. The thought of actually dying, especially this young, was a terrifying concept to me!

But the longer I waited, the more and more likely that possibility became.

No! I shouted aloud to myself with determination. I was not about to let this happen! I was gonna keep pushing forward until I find some help!

I was gonna survive!

Just as soon as my determination soared, it drastically plummeted when I heard a noise coming from some nearby grass. The grass was pretty tall, so I didn't know if it was a predator or not out to eat me!

I looked around for any sort of weapon that I could use, but unfortunately, there was nothing I saw that would be useful.

I slowly began to back up, ready to run if necessary. Whatever this was, it was beginning to reveal itself. Out of the grass stepped-

A lioness...

I gasped in utmost horror. The lioness continued to slowly approach towards me. When I tried to convince myself to run, I was unable to.

I knew at this point that if I started running, the lioness would only become more aggressive, and would pounce on me with ease. There was no outrunning this one!

All I could do was wait for the inevitable.. I shut my eyes tight, and gritted my teeth.

'I'll see you soon, Mom,' I thought to myself, accepting my fate.

However, the longer and longer I waited, nothing happened. This confused me beyond all belief! Shouldn't I be lion fettuccine right now!?

As I slowly opened my eyes, directly in front of me stood the lioness, who was mere inches away!

"AHH!" I screamed in fear for my life. My heart skipped a beat and I instinctually fell backwards onto the ground. I noticed the lioness seemed startled by my sudden outburst, which made me feel even more uneasy.

'Well, now I've done it,' I thought. I probably pissed her off, now!

However, instead of ripping my throat out, the lioness cocked her head to the side, as if in curiosity. This caused me to cock a brow. I certainly didn't expect this lioness to be as non-aggressive as she was.. Especially after I noticed the bump near her stomach, which signified that she was pregnant.

The lioness, besides that bump, appeared rather skinny in appearance, though.. Ribs clearly showed on the sides of her body, as if she was a bit malnourished. She had golden brown fur with sky blue eyes as well.

Both of us merely stared at each other for perhaps a solid minute, before the lioness did something completely unexpected.

"Are you okay?"

Wait a second...

I widened my eyes.

Did that lioness just talk to me!?

"Nope," I laughed, beginning to talk to myself. "This- This isn't real... I m probably just going crazy! Lions can't talk... That's fucking impossible!"

The lioness then put on an expression of what looked like slight concern!

"You look a bit dehydrated," she told me. The lioness motioned her head behind her and added, "There s a nearby river in this direction if I'm not mistaken if you need some water, though the river is close to dried up, and is shallow in some places."

I couldn't fucking believe this!

Was I going nuts!? Or was this lioness telling me how to get some water around here!?

No way...

This was impossible...

Whether it was real or not, I decided to respond anyway,

"H- How are you talking to me? That can't happen!

The lioness replied simply,

"I didn't know humans could necessarily talk either. I've heard many tales of your culture throughout my constant wandering of these lands." She then looked at my solemnly. "Most of them, not good."

I began to absorb this information, my mouth agape in shock. Before I could reply, the lioness shrugged and continued,

"But now, it appears that you humans can talk... The more you know..."

I didn't know what to say here. I was in too much of a shocked state to really think of anything. Instead, I simply asked the first thing that came to mind,

"You- You've never met a human before, huh?"

I mentally facepalmed.

'Wow... Dumbass question, Drew! Way to go!' I thought.

The lioness giggled slightly and replied,

"No, I actually haven't. Neither has anyone else around here in years, supposedly." She then shrugged. "But hey, I m not one to judge.. You don't appear to be as bad as they told in their stories." The lioness gave a friendly grin and asked me,

"What s your name?"

I looked at her for a couple of seconds before I gathered up enough courage to reply,

"Drew." I managed to muster up a slight grin of my own and I returned the question. "What's yours?"

"Nuru," she answered without hesitation. After that, we both looked up towards the sky as the breeze picked up it's pace slightly, blowing some leaves across the land.

"So, what are you doing out here anyways, _Drew_?" Nuru asked me, emphasizing my name. It appeared that she was still trying to remember it.

I gave a slight sigh and looked down, my sorrow evident.

"Me and my-" I cut myself off, realizing that she probably wouldn't know what a school was. I decided to be as general as possible. "-me and my friends, were attacked by a pack of hyenas. I managed to get away, but I can t say the same for them..."

Nuru looked at me with sympathy.

"I'm real sorry about your friends," she spoke with pity for my situation.

"Thanks..." I replied with a sigh. Things definitely could've gone better, but at the very least, I was still alive!

At least, I think so...

Nuru widened her eyes in what looked like a realization.

"Wait a second," she began. "I saw a pack of hyenas earlier! I had to get away since I have no pride to protect me. I have no real way of defending myself from a whole pack." Nuru looked me in the eye and asked, "Were you the one looking at me?"

At first, I was confused, but after a bit, I knew exactly what she was talking about!

So Nuru was the cat I saw earlier!

"Yeah, that was me." I admitted.

Nuru looked down slightly, before saying,

"I don't know why, but I just felt compelled to turn back. As a rogue, I'm always traveling anyways, so I figured I would check out what happened afterwards. That's why I even found you here in the first place. I picked up your scent, so naturally, I was curious."

I nodded in slight understanding.

"But now," Nuru continued. "I suppose I know."

"Yeah," I spoke with slight sadness. "I suppose you do."

Wanting to help the situation, Nuru pointed out,

"You seem like you don't intend to cause any harm." She looked up at me and offered, "Do you want to come with me? I was about to go on a hunt before it gets too dark.. I just prefer it that way."

I widened my eyes slightly, surprised I was being offered this opportunity! This definitely didn't happen every day.

I mean, this lioness felt comfortable enough to let me go on a hunt with her, and give me a chance!

'Wow...' I thought with slight awe, a slight grin forming on my face.

"S- Sure," I accepted. "I'm down."

Nuru gave a grin of her own and said,

"Well then, come on! The Zebra's grazing grounds shouldn't be too far away from this point."

As she began to take off, I noticed a pretty sturdy and decent sized tree limb lying on the ground. I quickly picked it up and examined it.

'This could make a hell of a spear if I crafted it!' I thought.

As a kid, I made small sticks into spears all the time! Usually just because I was bored..

I ran to catch up to Nuru, all while still looking at the stick. That's when I gave a slight smirk, and a thought came to mind,

'I wonder...'

 **Lucas' Antecedent**

I continued to struggle against the restraints that held my back against the rough tree bark that poked and prodded at my skin through my thin t-shirt. The longer the distance increased between me and my enemies, the more my blood began to sizzle in my veins. And the more angry I got, the thin rope around my wrists grew tighter. Slowly, I could feel each trickle of blood slither down my fingers. I tried to shake my hands; the blood tickled my fingertips as the tears caressed my cheeks. Without even thinking, masses of vomit erupted from my mouth. It hit the floor with incredible impact, crash landing right next to my father s face. His pale, frightened, bloodied face. There was so much blood that I hardly recognised him anymore.

He was in an awkward position as his body lay on the dirt. What was remaining of his head sat uncomfortably balanced on his broken arm, which Connor had done in front of me to torment me. His legs were tucked up to his chest in a semi-fetal position, which sounds quite peaceful when you really picture the image in your head. Sound asleep, like a baby - that's what you'd think. But no. His legs were only like that because only seconds before he was killed, he was begging for him and I to be spared. _"We won't say one word to anyone, I swear," he said. It's harsh to say that he sounded quite pathetic, but that's what Shaun reduced him to: a pathetic little bug, ready to be stomped, squashed, and destroyed. Dad was crouched and pleading, imploring that what Shaun and Connor were doing was morally wrong. He persisted that there are other ways to sort this out . That s when Connor stormed up to him and kicked him in the nose, inviting thick blood to gush out of his nostrils._

 _"What do you mean, 'other ways'?" Connor demanded, not expecting an answer as dad spat blood onto the ground near his knees. "We were all doing fine before you showed up! Lucas was living a perfectly happy life. He was getting on well at school, he had some great friends, and he actually had a decent set of people to look up to in case he ever messed up in his life. We were there for him, and we have been ever since we took him into our home. I've loved Lucas like he was my own little brother. Everything was just how we wanted it to be."_

 _Connor pointed at dad. "Then you just turned up, didn't you?" Dad just stared sombrely at Connor, not knowing what to say. That s when Shaun pointed the rifle straight between my father s eyes and screamed:_

 _"DIDN T YOU?!"_

 _"Lucas is my son! I've been looking for him for ten years! High and low, day and night, everywhere!" Dad shouted back at Shaun. I just kept silent and watched, not knowing if saying something would make matters worse, but I instantly knew I might have to open my mouth when Connor turned to me, his face alight with fury._

 _"Do you seriously believe him, Lucas?" The words flew from Connor's mouth into my ears. What was I supposed to believe? My dad wasn't the type of guy to just give up on his own child. I'd only known him for a few months, and I had known Connor and Shaun almost all my life since they adopted me when I was four years old. However, despite me not knowing my father for very long, I could feel something between us. A distinct connection, one that I never felt with Shaun as an adoptive father or Connor as an adoptive older brother. I knew that they loved me, and I loved them, but nobody can deny the bond that a son gets from his father and vice versa. I couldn t turn my back on dad. He said he d been looking for me for ten years, and I was inclined to believe him. My father was such a caring man, strong and brave. Shaun cared for me too but-_

 _"Yes," I blurted out. Big. Mistake_

 _Connor and Shaun both looked at me, and I could read their feelings loud and clear from their chilling expressions. Betrayal. Suddenly, I began to feel all numb. My thought process began drilling through my brain like overkill. What had I just done?_

 _"He seriously fucked with your head," Connor muttered to me, cold and heartbroken. "Everything that my father and I did for you!"_

 _"Connor, I-"_

 _"EVERYTHING WE DID!" He cut me off, before speaking quietly again. "And you still choose that worthless scum." Then Shaun said one last thing to me before he delivered the final blow._

 _"If that s how you feel about us..."_

 _My heart froze._

 **A/N: Bloody hell, our character never get a break! Alex is forced to kill his own uncle, Drew discovers that lions can indeed talk like humans, and Lucas' relationship with the murderers of his father is much more complex. I think my friends have done an excellent job here, and I think we've set the foundation for a great story. If you liked, or disliked the chapter, please let us know in a constructive review. Thank you for reading, and I hope you read the next chapter.**


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